Elizabeth Rose Murray

Social networking is all about marketing yourself properly. If it’s done well, it can bring you through unexpected channels to some amazing opportunities. For instance, an agent for a top publishing house contacted me (on Twitter), offering to read my novel when it’s completed. Now, this is mind-blowing stuff, but it’s not uncommon in the internet age. It’s just a question of having the right approach and attitude.

The key to social networking is to connect to the right people. Select other writers that you admire, inspirational people you can learn from and audiences that enjoy your work. Social networking is not about having more friends or followers than everyone else. You need quality connections. Whatever your goal, you get more value from ten people who read your blog regularly than 100 people who subscribe but never return to your posts. Of course, you can have both, but make sure you’re aware of your traffic.

A great way of building up a strong network is by building a blogroll. Link from your blog to people that you admire and appreciate. If they enjoy your work, they may link back, giving you extra visibility. There’s a likelihood that they’ll give you support and constructive feedback. But don’t link to people just for this reason. Social networking is not a vanity-publishing tool and it’s not for self gratification. Serious and professional writers need tough, honest and supportive critics. Network correctly and you could be seen by people that can influence your writing career. But it can’t be all one way.

Social networking requires a two-way stream of effort, like any other friendship. If you expect people to take an interest in and comment on your blog, perhaps even market it by word of mouth, then you need to take a keen interest in other people’s sites. We’re not talking about minimalist comments such as “great work!” – anybody can write this. Take notice of what people post about and make genuine and informed comments. Your comments are as influential as the way you write your own site. Since the internet is easy to access and everyone can have a blog, you have to work even harder to earn your reputation as a writer. Cultivating your online friendships will complement your own hard work.

Finally, remember that you’re marketing yourself as a writer for a reason e.g. to sell more books or to get published. To achieve this, you need to have something to sell or publish. Don’t get too caught up in networking. It’s an important part of the writing process but you need to stay vigilant and leave enough time to write. Maintain a balanced approach. If you don’t tweet for two days, it’s not going to make huge problems. In fact, your input is more noticeable, appreciated and more likely to be read.

2 Responses to “Building a Writing Profile Part 3 – Social Networking”